Last year, Jon Rahm was the defending champion at Augusta. Fast forward to this year, and after finishing Thursday tied for 63rd, it’s a bit of a question mark where he stands with his game. Rahm is someone who likes to hit the reset button every year, and heading into this season, it feels like he needed it more than ever. “I like keeping [goals] fresh instead of just saying I want to win X amount of things by or in the next five years,” Rahm said on Tuesday. He opened up about his approach for good performance, adding, “That exercise of closing the page on the year before and start a new one for the following year,” could help.

This was obvious when he expressed the pressure of sustaining the momentum after taking home his second major title at the 2023 Masters. “I wish I could say one week off was enough… but it is the life we signed up for,” he said. So, Rahm takes the reset button seriously. Then, last year was a rollercoaster for him – barely making the cut at Augusta, and finishing tied for 45th. Then, he missed the U.S. Open with a foot injury and didn’t make the cut at the PGA Championship. So, now that he’s back on the course, how’s he feeling? “I’m confident. It’s a very difficult golf course,” Rahm said after Thursday’s round.

When asked about the challenges ahead this year, he delivered a blunt 5-word summary of what lies ahead: “It’s going to get harder.” Still, the Spaniard hasn’t lost hope. “If I can get off to a good start, post a round in the 60s tomorrow, then the weekend could be a new story.”  So, was his driver the culprit? Rahm admitted, “A bit of everything. Not good off the tee, and then the few chances I had, I didn’t take advantage of.”

Since joining LIV in December 2023, Rahm has been on a roll, finishing in the top 10 in 17 out of the 18 events he’s played, with two wins. But ahead of this Masters, he admitted that last season was a big adjustment for him, trying to balance both personal and professional changes. “Last year, for me, was tough because it was the first major after joining LIV, and I was also defending, so there was a lot going on that week,” Rahm said. He added about the new adjustments, like the “new locker room, having the Champions Dinner. It was a lot to adjust to. I think a lot of it was more internal in my case than external.” It’s been a bumpy road for Rahm, but he’s aware and confident.

Jon Rahm’s confidence remains unfazed

Rahm’s game isn’t exactly falling apart, that’s for sure. He had a bit of a laugh on Tuesday, joking that he might be outside the top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking (he’s 80th), which doesn’t include LIV events. But, despite that, he’s still holding strong at fourth in the world according to Data Golf rankings.

“I would just say last year I was able to score really well,” Rahm said. “I never really felt 100% comfortable with my game throughout, and that’s possibly why on the bigger stages when it was difficult, like here or the PGA, I didn’t play my best golf.” He also mentioned later that he’s been working on his driver — last year, he had too many balls going left off the tee — and overall feels sharper now. When asked where he thinks he stands in the sport right now, Rahm just chuckled. “I would still undoubtedly consider myself a top-10 player in the world,” Rahm said. “[But] It’s hard to tell these days.”

But, of course, the first round at Augusta hasn’t been smooth sailing for him this year at T63. The greens have been tough, and during one of his shots on the ninth hole, Rahm couldn’t hide his frustration. He threw his club and even tried to break it in a rare outburst. Golf Digest caught the moment, sharing a hilarious picture with the caption, “Jon Rahm is not having fun at the moment.” Fans got a good laugh from Rahm’s little tantrum, and they didn’t hesitate to throw some jabs on social media.

Even with that frustration, Rahm has shown up this year with some serious confidence. The road to Augusta hasn’t been easy for him, but if anyone can bounce back from a rough start and make a strong statement, it’s Jon Rahm. The weekend could still be a whole new story for the Spaniard, and he’s more than ready to turn things around.